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Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood

Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood

Hartnett Holder & Co, the restaurant at Lime Wood – a luxurious boutique hotel in the New Forest with a bohemian vibe – is a culinary breath of fresh air compared to conventional country house eateries.

Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood has a classy, convivial ambience. The central bar allows for views across the elegant, comfortable dining rooms, while dishes – described as “out-and-out British with the much-loved Italian approach to eating” – are rustic and creative. Here, the fun has been put back into fine dining: expect sumptuous yet earthy dishes such as Mackerel, English muffin and oyster; and Pork belly, rabbit, chorizo, clams and cannellini. Sharing plates along the lines of whole brill, baked with fennel and preserved lemon salad regularly feature on the enticing menu. The wine list, described as “sweeping” by the Waitrose Good Food Guide, has a generous selection of organic and biodynamic wines.

Like The Pig in nearby Brockenhurst – a similar “self-sufficient foodie enterprise” writes the 2015 Good Food Guide – the kitchen takes full advantage of Hampshire’s abundant produce. The impressive grounds facilitate homegrown crops, and the onsite smokehouse yields smoked fish and charcuterie, “slow foods” such as chorizo, and lavender cured loin of pork, that have become integral to the hotel’s cuisine. Meat is organic and forest food – wild greens, herbs and mushrooms – is plucked from nearby woodlands.

As a hotel restaurant, Hartnett Holder & Co has been much-lauded: the 2015 Michelin Guide describes the Italian-influenced menu as “inspiring”; it holds three AA Rosettes; won Restaurant of the Year at the Food & Travel Awards 2013; and Restaurant of the Year at the Hampshire Food & Drinks Awards 2013, where Luke Holder was also voted Chef of the Year.

Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood

Three things you should know

1

Having previously worked in a restaurant in Thailand attached to a sensory spa, Luke Holder finds it “easy to get the whole philosophy” of the raw food menu available from Raw & Cured, the hotel spa’s health bar.

2

The hotel has a dedicated forager who gathers and delivers produce daily.

3

Believing that “a happy kitchen produces happy food”, and recognising the potential for staff burnout, Luke Holder’s team works a three-and-a-half-day week.